Elastic fabric and method of production



April 1e, 1940. s ,ALLEY 2,197,188

ELASTIC FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCTION Filed Oct. 20, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 na-'r-sr-slfla-iHHHHH April 1e, 1940. s, Q Lmv 2,197,188

ELASTIC FABRIC AND METHOD OF PRODUCTION Filed oc't'. 2o, 1936 lfy 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 zo ez 20 Z1 Patented Apr. 1.6-, 1940 PATENT. oFFlcE nms'rrc Fannie AND ME'rnoD or rnoDUc'rroN Samuel C. Lilley,'Hamden, Conn., assignor to The American Mills Company, New Haven, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application October 20,

` Claims.

This invention relates to improved fabrics and methods of production, and more particularly to elastic fabrics and methods of production in which elastic strands are -anchored against creep- 5 ing or slippage as a result of the fabric being unduly stretched, or when such elastic strands are cut by sewing or the like.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a superior method whereby elastic strands `may be anchored in elastic fabrics.

A further object is to provide a superior method bymeans of which elastic strands may be anchored in velastic fabrics without marring the appearance of the latter.

Another object is -to provide a superior method of manufacture' whereby elastic strands are anchored in elastic fabrics without depriving the fabric of desirable flexibility.

A still further object is to provide a superior 20 method by means of which spaced-apart elastic strands may be anchored throughout their length in an elastic fabric without harmfully affecting the areas of the fabric lying intermediate such spaced-apart elastic strands.

Still another object is to provide a superior elastic fabric in which a series of spaced-apart elastic strands are anchored or adhered only to the immediately-adjacent portions of the remainder of the fabric, thus leaving substantially 80 free the fabric-areas lying intermediate the said spaced-apart elastic strands.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all fea- 85 tures in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art and which are not claimed by me in a separate application.

In the accompanying drawings: Fig. l is a brokenface view of a section of 40 elastic fabric embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a broken schematic face view of a section of elastic fabric showing the Same stretched in the direction of its elastic strands and showing the adhesive-forming material in 45 place preparatory to being subjected to the action of a solvent to adhere the elastic strands in place;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; 50 Fig. 4 is a face view corresponding to Fig. 2, but 'showing the fabric substantially relaxed and after the adhesive-forming material has been subjected to the action of a solvent to anchor the elastic strands in place; f

55 Fig. 5 is a face View schematically showing an- 193s, serial No. 106,582

other mode of incorporating adhesive-forming material in an elastic fabric; Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a broken face view schematically show- 5 ing another mode ofv incorporating adhesive-form- Y ing material in an elastic fabric to enable endportions of elastic strands to be anchored there- In carrying out the present invention, as illus- 1,0

trated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, a plurality of elastic strands I0 are incorporated into a woven, knitted, netted or the like elastic fabric which latte;- is generally designated by the numeral II. e The said elastic strands I0 are laterally spaced l5 apart in parallelism and are intermeshed with a series of relatively-inelastic filling or weft strands I2 extending crosswise of the said strands I0. Also intermeshed with the filling or weft strands are a series of relatively-inelastic warp strands I3 which, like the said weft strands I2, may be formed of any suitable textile materials such, for instance, as cotton, silk, wool, regenerated cellulose, or the like.

The elastic strands I0 are formed of rubber or 23' equivalent elastic material and may be of rectangular, round or other cross-sectional form, and may, if desired, be provided with covering materials such, for instance, as those shown in .I United States Patent No. 2,031,375 or United States Patent No. 1,627,255

As shown schematically in Figs. 2 and 3, one or more strands I4 may be incorporated in the fabric adjacent each of the elastic strands I 0,

with which latter the said strands I4 extend sub- 35 stantially parallel and preferably in intimate contact. The strands I4 are formed of a suitable material (speciiic examples of which are hereinafter recited) which will become tacky or adhesive under the action of a suitable softening material, which latter may for convenience of description be referred to as fso'lvent material or fluid, examples of which will also be hereinafter given. The strands I4, also for the purpose of convenience of description, may be properly designated as adhesive-forming material or strands, inasmuch as, though substantially dry and non-tacky, when incorporated into fabric, the said strands I4 may be viewed as potential adhesives which do not become fully effective until treated witha solvent material, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

After the strands Ill, I2, I3 and I4 or their equivalent have'been incorporated into a fabric, the partly-finished fabric, preferably when substantialiy fully relaxed, may be immersed in, or otherwise subjected throughout its length, to the action of a suitable solvent, which will render the adhesive-forming strands I4 sumciently soft or tacky to adhere the elastic strands IB to the immediately-adjacent portions of the weft or lling strands I2 (Fig. 4), thus leaving the major portion of the fabric-areas A lying intermediate the elastic strands I0 with their component elements I2 and I3 substantially free of inter-adhesions.

The adhesive-forming strands such as i4 may be caused to substantially lose their identity as strands by employing a sufficiently-strong solvent over a short period of time, or a relativelyweaker solvent over a longer period of time, and

` be caused to penetrate portions of the transverse strands such as i2, as is indicated in Fig. 4.

By interlocking the elastic strands to only the immediately-adjacent portions of the fabric, said elastic strands are firmly anchoredin place against creeping, without, however, materially reducing the flexibility or pliability of the fabric as a whole,

and without imparting to the said'fabric an undesirable finish.

The material from which the adhesive-forming material or strands may be formed in accordance with the present invention, as well as the solvents therefor, may vary widely, and the following is given by way of illustration:

Solvcnt-softcnable adhesive-forming materials Solvents Methvl-polyacrylate.

Cellulose acetate Cellulose nitrato 1f it is desired to limit the sofning or solvent action of the so-calied solvent, the said solvent may be diluted to such a degree that the adhesive-forming strands will not entirely lose their identity as such, but will serve their purpose of adhering the elastic strands to the immediatelyadjacent portions of the fabric.

Furthermore, if it is desired to render the cementing resulting from the softening of the adhesive-forming material more plastic, such material may be treated with a suitable piasticizer such, for instance, as diethylephthalate. The adhesive-forming material chosen should be (as are those before listed) insoluble in water after having been treated with a solvent, in order to permit the fabrics to be laundered. As before indicated, the elastic' strands, the relatively-inelastic strands, the adhesive-forming material and the solvents may vary widely, and in selecting them for combination, vcare should be taken to insure that neither the relatively-inelastic strands or the elastic strands will be deleteriously affected by the adhesive-forming material or by the solvent employed for softening the latter. All of the solvent-softenable adhesive-forming materials and all of the solventsabove referred to may be freely used without harmful results in connection with elastic strands of vulcanized rubber and with warp or weft strands or their equivalent of cotton, silk, wool and regenerated cellulose.

If desired and as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, one or more strands i5 of solvent-softenable adhesive-forming material may be helically applied directly over elastic strands i6 prior to the incorporation of the latter strands into a fabric comprising relatively-inelastic weft or filler strands I1 and warp strands I8.

The partly-completed fabric of Figs. 5 and 6 may be subjected to the action of a suitable solvent which will effect the softening of the strands I5 so as to cause the same to adhere the elastic strands I6 to the immediately-adjacent portions of the weft or lling strands I1.

The fabrics of the present invention, whether woven, knitted, netted or otherwise fabricated, may obviously assume a wide variety of patterns or designs.

If desired and as shown in Fig. '7, elastic strands IS may be anchored to the remainder of the fabric only at localized points. In the fabric of this figure, a suitable number of solvent-softenable adhesive-forming weft strands 20 may be extended crosswise with respect to the elastic strands i9 and the relatively-inelastic warp strands 2 I, in alternation with relatively-inelastic textile weft strands 22.

When the end-zone B of the elastic fabric of Fig. 7 is dipped or otherwise subjected to the action of a suitable solvent, the adhesive-forming strands 20 may be caused to adhere the strands I9, 2l an'd 22 together throughout the said zone. After the solvent has dried from the fabric of Fig. '7, it will be found that the portion of the fabric lying within the zone B may be conveniently sewn to garments, for the reason that when stitches are passed through this zone, even though the elastic strands may be severed by this action, the said elastic strands will remain firmly anchored in place and will not creep through the untreated section of the fabric, to thus mar its appearance, or lessen or destroy its elasticity.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that by means of the present invention, elastic strands may be anchored in place in a simple, reliable and effective manner, and without rendering the completed fabric unsightly. Furthermore, the adhesive-forming material may be of such character as not to occasion the gumming up," so to speak, of looms, knitting machines or other apparatus employed for producing fabrics of the present invention.

As before noted, a very superior elastic fabric may be obtained by means of the present invention by causing the elastic strands to be cemented to only the immediately-adjacent portions of the fabric, to thus leave the strands in the fabricareas intervening between said elastic strands free for relative movement.

The invention may be carried out in other specic ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit and essential characteristics of the invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

l. As a new article of manufacture, an elastic fabric having a plurality of laterally-spaced-apart elastic strands incorporated therein with areas of interlaced relatively non-elastic strands therebetween; the said elastic strands being adhered to only the immediately-adjacent portions of the fabric and the major portion of the interlaced relatively no n-elastic strands in the fabric-areas intermediate the said elastic strands being substantially free of adhesions.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an elastic fabric having a plurality of laterallv-spaced-apart elastic strands incorporated therein with areas of interlaced relatively non-elastic strands therebetween; the said elastic strands being adhered substantially only to the strands of the fabric in contact therewith and the interlaced relatively non-elastic strands in the majorportion of the fabric-areas intermediate the said elastic strands being substantially free of inter-adhesions.

3. A method for anchoring elastic strands in elastic fabrics comprising: incorporating .a plurality of laterally-spaced-apart elastic strands in an elastic fabric with areas of interlaced relatively non-elastic strands therebetween and 1ocating adhesive-forming material only immediately adjacent the said elastic strands and excluding the said adhesive-forming material from the major portion of the interlaced relatively nonelastic strands in the fabric-areas intermediate the said spaced-apart elastic strands; then subjecting the said adhesive-forming material to the action of a solvent to effect the softening of the said adhesive-forming material to cause the same to adhere the said elastic strands to only the immediately-adjacent portions of the interlaced relatively non-elastic strands in the fabric.

4. A method for anchoring elastic strands in elastic fabrics comprising: incorporating a plurality of laterally-spaced-apart elastic strands in an elastic fabric with areas of interlaced relatively non-elastic strands therebetween and loeating adhesive-forming material in strand form only immediately adjacent the said elastic strands i adhere the said elastic strands to only Vthe im.

mediateiy-adjacent portions of the interlaced re1- atively non-elastic strands in the fabric.

5. A method for anchoring elastic strands in 'elastic fabrics comprising: incorporating a plurality of laterally-spaced-apart elastic strands in an elastic fabric with areas of interlaced relatively non-elastic strands therebetween and locating adhesive-forming strand-material `contiguous to the said elastic strands and excluding the said adhesivehforming strand-material from the major portion of the interlaced relatively nonelastic strands in the fabric-areas lying intermediate the said spaced-apart elastic strands; then subjecting the said adhesive-forming strand material to the action of a solvent to eect the softening thereof to cause the same to adhere the said elastic strands to only the immediately-adjacent portions of the interlaced relatively nonelastic strands in the fabric.

SAMUEL' C. LILLEY. 

